Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-06-24

Gretchen with a comfor' able bowl OF
bread ard milk, at tie kitchen table.
Then l rushed rp here to tell yol Of ny
escapade and beg some cast-Od garments
of brCther's for seTrO AS for Gretchen,
] mean TO endow her with my blue picnic
bingham and-gracious! what is the ium-
pus now"
Both ladies sprang to their feet as
series of gOiilla-like ye.ls came echoiDg
up from the regions below, aroused by
bal ell of voices which seemed 10 increase
in volume and ncaiEees each moment
Presently the door was dashed open by
the cook, Bridget McFay, Ter face was
red and wral hful; her head disheN eiod,
ard upon her ample shoulders was calmly
lerched Pips with his claws deeply en-
tangled in her coarse red hair. Bringing
up the rear was p or, battered, ragged
B,ppo vo.iferating and eKpostulating in
his foreign language with the not less
battered Gretchen as usual in tears.
".IOwly mother ov MosesF' shouted
Bridget "tak' off the mutherin' basic.
Diyil Il bit ov hair will he lave on the
hgad ov me at all, wild his four hands,
oountin' Lis toes which are all the same.
Shure an he's tearin' me scalp loose. Fad
luck till the monkey an it's rot fit he Is
to be along with dacent Christians"
"For goodness sake, Nell, command
your ragged brigade to take the miserable
creature off," exclaimed Mrs. Peters turn
ing to that young lady who stood laugh
ing regardless of the consequences to tho
excited daughter of the Emerald Isle.
AM it's laughn' at me ye arc" shou< I'd
Bridget, San We bhrngin' in ivry pauper
an thramp ov the sthrcets, an l;therin'
up me kitchen wild Everything that's pison
an dhirty, wild their bed bugs an"
"Hush' commanded Mrs Peters
Nell uttered tiny scream of disgust
while Master Pips became excited afresh
by the confus' on, and forcibly resumed
his investigation of the chronological de-
velopments Of the head of the cook
"Och, take off the thief OF the world"
she screamed, "shure an its KILN me in
tirely, so he is"
As coaAiug and commanding in broken
English and Teutonin jargon was of no
avail, old Beppo laid violent hands upon
the erratic and festive monkey, and liter
ally dragged him from his perch, and
tossed linn into the arms of Gretchen,
VIII re he cuddled down chatterirg over o
pawful of the rcd hair he had secured.
"Do get them out of the house rs quickly
as possible" urged Mrs. Peters, turning
upon poor Nellie, who was divided in her
impul es and d d not know whether to
continue laughing at the ludicrousress Of
the scere, or cry poor Bridget who be-
walled her tern hair and lacerated scalp
in the strongest CXpletiNes in her vocabu-
larry.
"Bridget, step Your profanity and go
down stairs" commanded MIS- Pctc:s
"DNil bit VII thin. Is it the loikes
ov me, do you think, aswill sthop Il blessed
mint in this house to be r.nt intirely to
tatters by a haytlin ov a monkey all
alonest ov thin as GoNSn't know bethnr
what belongs till a Gintile family" was
answered by the iTate mait ell.
"Poor, dear Bridget" exclaimed Nell,
nov all cOntIition, "don't he angry that 8
a good girl. Remember that we are COM
manded to clothe the naked and feed the
hungry. You are to good christian to
deny that, or be iave thought any eril
would cine from o5eying the injunction"
an not be afthcr deTy;n' it, Miss, as
TIL the beggars an thranps, but divil the
bit ov a command kin yees fond rs fetches
| in that Om6haun ov a monkey"
"Ie 80 sorr!c &c monkey bullcd de hair
and made all de drouble," sObbcd Gretchen
| in her broken English and with her eyes
flooded with tears. de laaee so goot al d
tanks ler so great, 50 mo lch."
''Yaw, me tank too. Got in himmel glib
| de poorly leetle ladee ebrything," put in
BepFo.
"Gibberish" snorted Bridget, twisting
| up her luXul liant tresses into a character
lstic knob, impal.ng it with couple OF
| crooked hairpins.
"There! Now CO." exclaimed both OF
| the ladies in q breath.
Nell piloted them down stairs, filled
their pockets from the best to be found in
Bridget's lardeT, saw them safely out of
| the area gate, coaxed Bridget back to
| good humor, and then returned to the
| sitting room Just as fresh and oft-re.
| peated strain of "Willie, We Have Missed
You," came floating up from the street
where BeppO, Gretchen and PiPs had
wandered.
Nell received the announcement that
| Mrs. Peters brother, Alec, had been O
silent spectator of the extravaganza, and
an introduction in the same breath from
the laughing sister. But though she
blushed deeply, she was equal to the oc
| casion, and declared she was done with
missions, asshe always overdM the matteE
and butterflies he'd nc business with hearts
Or philanthropic impulS es
This statement Alec Desmond very fullJ
Endorsed, and before his visit had ended
induced her to transfer the former into
his keeping. And he declared over and
over ae ain that her adje tives were neither
too many or extravagant, as applied to
Nell, and that she was indeed the cutest
| dearest, loyelic-' little maiden when she
had at last found her true mission.